Relaxing the codes: The watch brands embracing a more casual style
It might appear that there is little in common between the new Omega Railmaster, the all-blqck unisex Hermes Cape Cod and the grey, fantastically thin Bulgari Octo – certainly, each comes from very different position of concept and design.
But each was a significant surprise when unveiled at the Baselworld fair earlier in the year; and the surprise, in fact, was in each case the same. In the hard, hidebound world of high-luxe watchmaking, brands – and not necessarily the brands you expect – are discovering a softer, more nuanced, more textured side to their designs. Gloss is out; warmth, subtlety and informality are in. The fashion would got there years ago, but it’s taken Switerland longer to recognise the loosening up of both the lifestyles and the uniforms of the stylish modern male. It was worth the wait.
Omega Railmaster, ￡3,600, worn with cashmere blazer by Brunello Cucinelli, Melton shirt by Dunhill
Omega announced the return of the Railmaster, a tough watch from the 1950s, with a limited edition that recreated the original; but it’s the tactile beauty of this non-limited, mainstream version (￡3,600) – in particular, the strikingly brushed dial and snappy herringbone strap – that is more interesting and more satisfying.
In contrast, the fluid form of the Cape Cod from Hermès has been so long unchanged that it’s become more chic wallpaper than star player. But the soft lustre of this unexpected black version is sleekly magnificent – the very opposite of the high impact “bro-watch” style that has tended to define modern all-black watches. Actually, it inspires in me the near-heretical thought of just how effective a similarly sleek, blacked-out Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso could be. Steady on…
Octo Finissimo Automatique, ￡11,300 worn with tweed blazer by Harrods Man, denim shirt by Hackett
So to Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo – a range that is entirely unlikely as it is (who would slim down a watch case with 100-odd facets?). With this addition, Bulgari has created the thinnest automatic watch around (5mm thick), and in so-doing has overturned the convention that such a watch must be something formal, dressy and precious.
The Octo Finissimo Automatic is anything but: an all-grey all-rounder with a case, bracelet and dial in matt, bead-blasted titanium, from the brand that defined Roman opulence in jewellery form. Its movement – a marvel of engineering, with a tiny micro-rotor but a 60-hour power reserve – merely services the design, rather than ruling it. That, in many ways, is progress too.
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